The Prince of Atlantis
by killjackunzel
Summary: After The Blood of Olympus, Annabeth breaks up with Percy due to an emotional breakdown. Percy goes to live with his father. All of his friends think he is dead. One day he returns. Will he and Annabeth get back together? Do Percy and Triton get along well? Terrible summary, I know. The story is much better, promise!
1. Chapter 1

Hello people! I am new to this whole fanfiction thing, so please be nice. This is my first fanfiction ever. I hope you like it.

Camp Half-blood and Camp Jupiter had been buzzing with gossip. Word had it that Annabeth Chase had had an emotional breakdown due to her trip through Tartarus, and had broken up with Percy Jackson. No one had seen Percy in a month.

Five years later

Percy Jackson swam down one of the roads in Atlantis. The young hero had journeyed to his father's palace and chosen to live there, away from his former life and crushing heartbreak. Poseidon had even turned Percy into a merman. Triton had welcomed him willingly this time, accepting him as his brother. It was more than Percy had ever hoped for. Triton explained to him that in the Titan battle, his fiancé had been cheating on him and he had just found out. "I'm sorry I was so horrid to you, Percy. Just know that I'm here for you. Brothers are supposed to be there for each other." Percy had been shocked when Poseidon had insisted on naming him as a prince of the sea. Percy sighed contentedly as he swam down his favorite path. He tugged at the silver arm bands Amphitrite had insisted he wear self-consciously. The circlet didn't bother him, but these made him feel to conspicuous. Suddenly, an Iris Message appeared in front of him. It wasn't easy to tell what was going on, but through the hazy images, he could make out Jason, his best friend, fighting for his life against a horde of monsters. "Percy, I don't know if you're even out there anymore, but if you are, I need you." Was all Jason managed to shout before the connection was lost. Instantly, Percy was speeding back to the palace, his bluish-green tail beating the water frantically. He burst into the throne room and as soon as his father, brother, and Amphitrite saw him, they were off of their thrones and rushing towards him. "Percy, what happened?" Triton asked anxiously. "I need to get to Camp Jupiter. I'm going to come back, don't worry." He smiled reassuringly and after a brief flash of pain, his legs were back. Triton placed a hand on his little brother's shoulder. "Call me if you need help. Especially if there is a fight. I know you like a challenge, but don't take on more than two thousand this time, okay?" Percy laughed and swam off to retrieve his set of armor that his family had given to him two years ago for his birthday.

As he speed traveled to Camp Jupiter, Percy thanked the gods that he could not get the bends. H emerged in San Francisco Bay and he hailed a cab. As fast as he could, Percy ran through the tunnel and stopped at the sight that greeted him. About two thousand monsters were assaulting New Rome. Percy smirked and drew his sword. Willing the Little Tiber to obey his will, Percy picked all of the demigods up and deposited them on the safe side. Then he attacked. Within ten minutes, all of the monsters were dead. As soon as they were gone, the young prince of Atlantis went to tend to the wounded. His friends were waiting for him. Hazel just stared for a minute before demanding, "What happened to you?" Percy looked down. "My dad might have decided to make me a prince? I personally think he just felt bad about Annabeth." Silently she nods, but Jason says, "When did you become able to defeat two thousand monsters? You weren't able to do that before, were you? That would be embarrassing. You always holding back, just so we could do something." Percy smiled a little and Frank asked suddenly, "Why didn't you come back? We could have helped you!" Percy knelt next to Reyna and began to clean her wounds. "I just needed to get away from the world for a while. Believe it or not, Triton helped me a lot. I guess I should go to Camp Half-Blood, huh? Any of you guys willing and or able to go with me?" Hazel jolted forward and wrapped her arms around her friend. "I'll come with you." Jason and Frank decided to come as well. Suddenly, Percy froze. "Where is Piper?" Jason grinned and said, "She's visiting the others. When do you want to leave?" Percy shrugged and said, "Whenever you guys are. I have transportation." His three friends grabbed their weapons and followed him to the river. Percy knelt in the shallow water and began murmuring under his breath. Three pink pearls appeared in his hand and Hazel and Frank grinned. "I remember those!" Hazel exclaimed and happily allowed Percy to throw one at her, enveloping her in a shimmering pink bubble. Less enthusiastically, Jason and Frank allowed themselves to be encased. They were pretty surprised when they began to descend into the water with Percy swimming along beside them.

When they reached a decent depth, Percy commanded the spheres to halt and he transformed his legs back into a tail. His friends just gaped. Percy grinned and said, "Hang on! We'll be at Long Island in about ten minutes." Jason, Frank, and Hazel screamed like little children when they began to move again. Once they were ejected onto dry land, the trio turned to glare at Percy who was lingering in the water. A piercing whistle ripped through the air and Connor Stoll ran up to the three friends, not even noticing the merman in the crystal blue water. "I'm going to kill you Percy!" Jason yelled while Hazel and Frank greeted the mischievous son of Hermes. At those words though, Connor whirled around to face his serious faced old friend. "Percy? Is that you?" He asked timidly and Percy nodded. "Give me a minute. I have to change back to my legs real quick." Percy ducked under water briefly and emerged without a tail. His circlet and armbands glistened in the bright sunlight before he hid them with his powers. Connor just stared at him in shock. "Oh gods, it is you! We all thought you were dead or something!" The young man exclaimed as he hugged Percy. The prince of the sea laughed and said, "You really thought I wouldn't be able to take care of myself? You should ask Jason what I did earlier." At this statement, the son of Jupiter looked queasy. Frank chose this time to say, "Is it dinner time yet? We were hoping to startle the others out of their minds." Connor smirked devilishly and motioned for them to follow him quietly. "They're all in the dining pavilion. Dude, I really wish I wasn't on guard duty! This is sure to be awesome." After fist bumping Percy, Connor went back to his tree and began whistling.

Once they got to the eating area, Hazel, Frank, and Jason entered first. Everyone erupted into shots and catcalls. Then Jason realized Percy wasn't beside him. "Are you coming or do I need to drag you over here?" He demanded. Reluctantly, Percy stepped into the firelight. A hush fell instantly, until Percy caught sight of two people he thought he'd never see again. "Leo? I thought you were dead!" The Latino demigod just stared, his nose spontaneously combusting. Chiron cleared his throat. "Perseus, I see you have returned. Your father told me in advance, and instructed me to alert every one of your new status as well as your titles." Percy groaned and slammed his head into a column, creating a large crack. Turning to Hazel, he said, "See? This is why I didn't want to come. Dad is always wanting to show off." A deep throated chuckle emanated from the corner and Percy's face brightened. "Tri! I didn't know you were coming?" Triton stood up and laid his arm across his younger brother's shoulders comfortably. "Who else would dad send to tell them and make sure you didn't run away? Anyway, what happened to the whole "don't take on more than two thousand monsters this time? I have it from a very reliable source that there were at least three." Percy cringed. "I may have miscounted?" He attempted to excuse himself. Everyone gathered were shocked. Triton cleared his throat and when Percy just glared back, he jabbed Percy in the ribs. The younger prince's crown and armbands appeared instantly. "Why'd you do that? I didn't want them to know about that yet!" Percy complained. Chiron cleared his throat and got everyone's attention. "May I introduce Perseus Jackson, Hero of Olympus, Bane of Monsters, Hero of Prophecy, Bane of Titans, Traveler and Survivor of Tartarus, Bane of Giants, Lord of the hurricanes, Victor of the Labyrinth, and King of the Atlantic, Prince of the Atlantis." A hush fell over the assembled campers and Percy felt a sense of shame and horror envelope him.

He ran. Away from the awed stares, away from his brother who only wanted him to have the respect Triton felt Percy deserved, away from the honor and glory that others would give him. When he stopped running, Percy found himself in the fighting arena. However, he was not the only one there. A familiar blonde young woman was training. As he watched, she fought an invisible enemy and lost. Only when she suddenly exclaimed, "How could I have done that to him?" Did he realize that Annabeth was crying. She continued to fight, but Percy needed to talk to her, try to comfort her. So, he did the only thing he could think of; he attacked. Not viciously, but enough to put her on her guard. She never looked up into his face to see who it was, but Percy could see the gratitude written on her face. They sparred for about half an hour until it got too dark to see. "Thanks." Annabeth pants. "No problem." I say, "I needed to blow off some steam." Annabeth froze. "Is something wrong, Annabeth?" Percy asked innocently and she punched him on the arm. "I thought you were dead Seaweed brain!" Then she paused. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be staying as far away from here and me as possible." Percy laughed. "I'll have to admit, that was why I stayed away for about the first year. Then dad just wanted me to stay with him and Triton." Heavy footsteps resound and he scowled. "Speak of the devil." Percy muttered and crossed his arms.

"Aw, come on Percy. You know dad said to, and it's not like you don't deserve a little acknowledgement for all of your accomplishments. But who is this?" Percy tensed a little, just enough for Annabeth to notice. "Um, this is Annabeth, Triton. Triton, Annabeth." He said awkwardly. Triton exploded. "You're the girl that broke my brother's heart? You should know that he hasn't ever even so much as looked at a girl in the last five years. Five years, mortal. Do you know how much dedication that takes? He was in love with you! He had been planning on asking you to marry him, but no! You had to go, and ruin any chance of happiness he had. What are you even doing near him?" Triton went to push her away, but Percy stepped in front of her, the moonlight reflecting off of his circlet and armbands (which had just appeared. They did that when he got angry, which he was). "Triton that is enough! You don't know what she was going through. She had just fallen into Tartarus and been forced to walk through it! I understand why she did it, even if you don't." Triton snarled and lunged at Annabeth again. By now, a crowd had gathered. "You fell too, Percy!" He exclaimed angrily. Percy tackled him and pinned him down. "And you saw how broken I was afterwards! If my mental condition was that bad, what do you think hers was? I was out of it for some of it." Triton calmed gradually. When Percy thought his older brother was calmed sufficiently, he got off of him. He bowed his head. "I am sorry. I did not think. I should have known that if you were together, you had already forgiven her. Please forgive me, lady Annabeth." He said formally. Annabeth smiled hesitantly at him and asked, "Why was Percy mad at you earlier?" Triton laughed and Percy clamped his hands over his brother's mouth. "He didn't say anything!" Percy yelled frantically. Nico smirked at him and said, "Oh yeah, he didn't do anything but list all of your titles. You should have heard all of them Annabeth. He must have had what? Fourteen of them? After Percy ran off, Triton told us of some of Percy's accomplishments. He definitely wasn't just sitting around like most of us were. He was doing ridiculously awesome stuff. Come on Percy, let him tell us some more!" Percy sighed. "Fine. Dad wants me back within the next hour though, so I had better go ahead and leave. See you all soon and try not to freak out." That last part was directed to Annabeth.

What do you think? Should I continue? Is it terrible? Please be honest with me, but please be nice. Please review, I would love to know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**Before I let you get to the story, I want to apologize for it taking me so long. I am so sorry! My life got hectic really quickly. I got a new job and had to babysit my five younger siblings, my wisdom teeth got removed, my mom got a job after being unemployed for like, 23 years, and over all, life has happened. I really appreciate all of you who either followed and/or favorited my story. It means the world to me, and I wish I could meet you in person just so I could give you each a hug. I think I fixed the paragraphing on this one, but let me know what you think! I may or may not continue this, so I left it at a point where it could go either way, I'm just not sure right now. I do know, however, that I will be writing a lot more fanfiction, though I will be exploring different fandoms. Now on to the story. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing! All recognizable characters, places, or plots belong to the insanely talented Rick Riordan.**

Annabeth sat patiently as Triton gathered his thoughts. "Where to start?" He pondered, cruelly dragging this out for as long as possible. Finally, Calypso of all people blurted out, "Oh, for the god's sakes. Just spit it out already!" Triton grinned at her and she looked away, blushing. "Well, I suppose I could start with right after he arrived." Triton mused

First of all, you have to understand that my mother despises father's other children. At least, she did until Percy came along. As soon as she met him, she insisted on integrating him into the royal family. Mum is very strong willed, and when she wants something, she usually gets it."

Percy had absolutely no idea what was going on. He had been in Atlantis for about a month when father actually told him about the coronation. I had been introducing Percy to some of my friends when father swam up. It was hilarious watching my brother's reaction. Annabeth, you know how he is. He hates titles and wishes to be treated as an equal, even if he is someone's superior." Annabeth nodded in silent agreement, so Triton continued.

"Percy was frozen for a moment, but then he just exploded. He just went off about how technically, he was illegitimate, and how he would put a stain on our family name. It was amazing. I had never heard Percy speak so eloquently or so forcefully before then. Father was surprised of course, but he eventually got Percy to understand that we didn't care. I personally believe that Percy actually improved our reputation." Triton sighed.

"Anyway, Percy accepted what father said, but that didn't stop him from sulking in his room for a week!" Everyone who has gathered laughed, but some of the campers were unsatisfied. "I thought you mentioned Percy was like the "Conqueror of Oceanus" or something?" Clarisse asked, hungry for news of battle. Annabeth freezes.

"Oceanus? Like the titan of the sea from the time before the gods?" She asked nervously. Catching Annabeth's eye, Triton nodded. "We had only heard of a disturbance a month after Percy was crowned. Somehow, he had managed to hear of it before our father, or myself. As soon as we heard that Percy had gone to investigate with nothing but his sword, we followed. However, the chasm that Percy and Oceanus were in was trembling far too much for us to enter. That accursed deity sent giant serpents out to attack us, distracting us so that we couldn't help Percy." Just as father decapitated the last serpent, a blinding blue-green light filled the water and we were forced to look away."

Tears choked the crown prince as he remembered. "I thought that Percy was dead. My only brother, the only mortal I had ever cared about, dead. Because I couldn't protect him. Poseidon and I entered the chasm, expecting to find Percy's body. Instead, we found an army of at least six thousand dark creatures dead, along with Oceanus's body. Somehow, Percy had managed to both scatter Oceanus's essence like he had with Kronos, and he defeated the entire army that the former titan had mustered. We found Percy, completely exhausted on a ledge above Oceanus's corpse. The first thing he did was to check on our safety when he had nearly vaporized himself."

Annabeth laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Triton smiled gratefully at her, leaning into her touch. "Is that why you said he isn't allowed to fight more than 3,000 monsters at a time?" Jason squeaked, astonished. Triton nodded, before standing and offering a hand to Annabeth. "I will return to tell you more tales of Percy's heroics, but for tonight, I am afraid that I must leave you. I am almost positive that my brother and I will be back tomorrow."

Shouts of protest erupted from the crowd, and Chiron stomped one of his hoofs to gain their attention. "His highness is correct, young ones. I have already been far too lenient on the bedtime tonight. Off to your cabins immediately!" He ordered and herded everyone but Annabeth and Triton away. Triton, like the proper prince he was, offered Annabeth his arm, to escort her back to the Athena cabin."

"Lady Annabeth, I truly am sorry for my outburst earlier this evening. Will you deign to forgive me?" Stormy sea green eyes stared sincerely into her own. Hurriedly, Annabeth nodded her head. "Of course! I thought we covered this earlier?" Triton grinned and stated, "We did, but Percy insists that I am never sincere the first time, so he makes me do it twice. It was rather annoying at first, but now, its second nature. I can't seem to stop doing it."

Together, they laughed until they reached Annabeth's cabin. "I must depart now, Lady Annabeth. I hope to meet again soon." After kissing her hand, the charming mer-prince left, leaving Annabeth to her thoughts. She pointedly ignored the stares sent her way by her siblings and went to her bed. Kneeling beside the sturdy wooden cot, she pulled out a small metal chest out from underneath it.

After undoing the clasp to the chain around her neck, Annabeth tugged a small silver key off of it. Carefully, she inserted the key into the tiny lock on the chest and opened it. Inside were dozens of pictures of herself and Percy, her baseball cap of invisibility, her coral necklace from Percy, and letters.

No one other than Annabeth, Percy, and possibly Triton knew about these letters. After the titan battle, when Percy had been kidnapped and his memory had been wiped, he had written her love letters. In ancient Greek. And others were in Latin. Annabeth had almost started crying when she found them in her cabin aboard the Argo II.

Percy had never been one to write sweet verses and to openly proclaim his affection, but at his most insecure and vulnerable point in time, he chose to write about his emotions and feelings in the form of letters to her. Someone he wasn't even completely sure was real. Annabeth shook the nostalgic tears out of her eyes, and, clutching the letters to her chest, collapsed on her bed and ordered lights out.

With Percy

Percy swam quickly back to his father's palace. Contrary to popular belief, he was not interested in dying in unbearable agony due to an angry god's temper. Sea creatures and Merpeople alike dashed out of the way of their prince when they saw him speeding to the palace. None of them were anxious to delay him. Percy dove through his window and grabbed a book, settling into his chair as if he had been there for hours when he heard his door opening. He looked up to see his father looking down at him curiously. "Percy? But Chiron said you were staying at Camp?" Setting down his book- it was apparently about the lifespan of a traditional Greek hero- he placed a hand on his father's shoulder.

"I told you I would be back tonight, didn't I? And I always try to keep my promises. When was the last time I broke a promise?" Poseidon hugged his youngest son to his broad chest and sighed, "Earlier, actually. You promised Triton that you wouldn't fight more monsters than you could handle. But we gods aren't really the best role-models in that respect, now are we?" Together, father and son laughed, enjoying the simple joy of actually having his father around. It was a luxury he had not been able to enjoy for almost seventeen whole years. Reluctantly, Percy pulled back.

"I'm supposed to go back again tomorrow. I have to go see mom and Paul. I haven't seen them face to face in almost three years, father." The prince stated. The sea god merely nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I am surprised that you stayed down here with me for this long. You are like me and do not enjoy being restrained. If you were asking for my permission, you have it, but I believe that your brother may want to accompany you. He has become quite attached to you, Percy."

Smirking to himself, Poseidon left his son to think over the events of that day. Percy picked his book up from the floor and placed it back on the bookshelf. Why did he even have such a book? To try to scare him into never leaving? Chuckling quietly to himself, Percy flopped onto his bed, his sea green tail trailing through the water delicately.

Annabeth was as gorgeous as the last time he had seen her, if not even more so, but it looked like she was losing sleep. Nightmares maybe? They were common in demigods, but they were rarely bad enough to make the person unable or unwilling to go back to sleep. The gods knew how often Percy was plagued by them. Poseidon often visited in the middle of the night for the purpose of waking Percy up from nightmares that held him for too long, and then calming him down.

Since Triton stayed only two doors down the hallway, the two-tailed prince often heard Percy's sobs and screams. Oftentimes, Percy's nightmares revolved around Annabeth in one way or another, Annabeth dying, Annabeth injured, going through Tartarus with Annabeth, Annabeth breaking up with him. That last one was the most frequent.

Percy dragged a hand down his face. Why was he thinking about nightmares during the day when he had to endure them at night? Annabeth had actually seemed glad, maybe even relieved to see Percy. Percy smiled as he thought of her reaction to who her sparring partner had been. It had been nice to see his old friends again, especially the ones that he thought he would never see again, like Calypso and Leo Valdez.

Leo always had had a knack for pulling off the impossible, but coming back from the dead? That was a little extreme, even for him. Calypso on the other hand, she was an immortal goddess who had been banished to a nonexistent island. How did she even get off? After Tartarus, Percy had planned to go back to Olympus and make sure that the gods actually followed up on their promise to set her free.

After all, Percy had never really had the chance to see it through, what with Hera kidnapping him and stealing his memories and all. Said prince swam upright, and pulled out his sword, Riptide, It had been the first thing Percy had ever received from his father, even if it had been inadvertent. In a way, it had also been a gift from Zoe Nightshade, one of Percy's friends that had been killed on a quest.

He recapped the pen and set it on his dresser before climbing into bed. Tomorrow would be a big day, and he would need all the energy he could possibly get. But, try as he might, Percy couldn't sleep. Thoughts of Annabeth kept him awake for another hour. Did she still love him? Did she hate him? Was she okay mentally now? Eventually, he fell asleep, and for the first time since Ogygia, Percy slept without any nightmares,

He awoke refreshed for the first time in forever, and, after writing a short note explaining where he was going, and grabbing something from his wardrobe, he took off to go see his mom. He swam quickly all the way to Manhattan before transforming and returning to dry land. He remembered very clearly the way to the apartment. Once he arrived, he withdrew the silver key that hung on his necklace, and unlocked the door.

Apparently, his mother and Paul were still asleep, so Percy went to the kitchen. There, he gathered the ingredients for pancakes, along with a few extra items to make them extra unique. Quickly, he made a pot of coffee, mixed up the pancake batter and poured perfect circles out onto the hot griddle. Then, he sprinkled some chocolate chips onto the top before flipping the delectable breakfast item over. Percy heard some movement in the bedroom and smiled to himself.

The smell of the pancakes was obviously more than enough to bring Paul stumbling into the kitchen. "Do you want coffee?" He asked, relishing the idea of scaring his step-father. Paul just stood there for a minute, staring at Percy before rushing forward and wrapping the young man up in a hug. "Are you all right? What made you decide to come back?" He finally asked, when he realized that Percy needed to flip the pancakes.

Percy grinned to himself and said, "Camp Jupiter was under attack. Jason called me for help. He didn't even know if I was still alive. It made me realize exactly what I was missing out on, even if I was a prince of the seven seas. Nothing can replace family." He expertly stacked the blue chocolate chip pancakes on a platter and said, "Can you go wake mom up? The food is done and there is a serious matter that I need to with you both."

Instantly, Paul was out of the room, racing to wake his wife and tell her that her son was back, safely. Percy set the table and braced himself for impact. Sally Blofis hugged her long-lost son as if he would never come back again. Percy returned the embrace just as tightly. "Mom, everything is okay, I'm not injured. Now sit down and eat, I need to talk to you about something."

Curiously, his parents sat down and began to eat the meal that Percy had prepared. The young man sighed, then began. "Do you remember what I visited you about right before I went to live in the ocean with dad?" If Sally and Paul noticed that Percy did not say "after Annabeth broke up with me," they didn't mention it. Sally thought for a minute before nodding. Percy reached into his pocket and withdrew an emerald green ring box.

He set it on the table in front of his mother and said, "I wanted to ask you for your blessing again. Annabeth and I came to an understanding last night." As soon as those words left Percy's mouth, Sally was launching herself over the table, wrapping her son in another hug. "Of course you do! Why did you think you had to ask? Surely you knew the answer would be the same!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Percy grinned at her and washed the dishes, using his powers. "I knew you would say yes, but I just wanted to be sure. I mean, I still love her, but you may have become embittered towards her or something." Mrs. Blofis rolled her eyes and said, "Percy, I could never hate the woman you love. It would hurt you, and you know I could never do that willingly. Now what are you doing here still? Go get her!" She ordered, laughingly escorting her son to the door. Percy kissed her on the cheek and promised to come back soon.

The young prince walked leisurely towards the seashore, stopping short when he saw a familiar redhead standing with her feet in the water. "Rachel? Is that you?" He called, and laughed when his friend whirled around in shock. He hugged her and teased, "You know, for an Oracle, you don't seem to be doing so well with telling the future." She hugged him tighter but growled, "I can see it clearly enough to know that you're going to propose to Annabeth today. Nobody told me that, Mr. Jackson. Now go get 'er! Just remember to visit more often, okay?"

Percy nodded and disappeared under the salty water. After transforming into a merman again, he sighed, now, it was off to Camp Half-Blood. It was just past six-thirty when Percy arrived, but to his surprise, several people were on the beach. Nico, Calypso, Will Solace, Reyna, and Leo were all on the beach doing various things. Leo was blasting some sand int0 a glass pendant for Calypso while she watched, Will was watching the sunrise, and Nico and Reyna were absorbed in conversation.

None of them noticed the bright green flash under the water, or Percy emerging from the ocean. Percy grinned to himself and scampered up his favorite tree to plan what prank he was going to pull on them. He was so absorbed in his planning, that he didn't notice the other campers making their way to the beach. When he looked up from his papers, he almost fell from the tree in shock. Over two hundred campers were gathered there, eating breakfast.

Percy grinned as he spotted his friends eating together, their feet touching the water. Annabeth's curly blond hair was pulled into a high ponytail, showing him that she was wearing the coral necklace that he had made her years ago. She was in the process of scolding Leo for teasing Frank, but the Chinese-Canadian-Roman boy didn't seem to mind, he was too busy laughing at something Hazel had said. Percy was perfectly content to watch his family have fun all day, but apparently, Triton had other plans.

"Percy! Come on, you know it isn't funny when you leave before anyone else is awake! Mother almost had my tail for it this time!" Percy accidentally gave away his location by laughing. Instantly, Triton had his little brother by the ankles, pulling him down, out of the tree until Percy landed on his back. "Tri, you know it's funny. Come on, you're trying not to smile, you know you are." He smirked, even though his back was killing him.

True to Percy's word, Triton grinned at his brother fondly before saying, "Easy for you to say! Mother thinks you're the most perfect being on earth. I'm the one that always gets in trouble for your schemes!" Percy laughs and doesn't bother to tell Triton that it's his own fault for not leaving the crime scene quickly enough.

Piper leaned over Percy and shook a finger in his face mock-menacingly. "Perseus Jackson, were you spying on us?" Percy stopped laughing and stuttered nervously, "No?" Piper rolled her eyes good-naturedly, and pulled him to his feet. "We weren't sure if you would come today or not. We're glad you did though." Percy grinned and asked, "Is this normal now? To eat breakfast on the beach? I mean, I don't have a problem with it, I was just kind of curious."

Hazel grabbed Percy's hand and dragged him through the crowd towards the others and said, "Yeah, at first it was just some of us from the Seven. I have a question for you Percy. Why do you speak differently now? I noticed last night that you take more care with your words now." Percy groaned and flopped down on the sand, hiding his face while Triton laughed at him.

"I told you they would ask! I told you!" Percy exclaimed, glaring at Triton, who held up his hands in surrender. "It's not _my_ fault that mother decided you needed classes in prince-hood. But it is strange to think about it. You used to use popular slang, and now, you only use proper vocabulary." He was still laughing when Percy used his powers to completely drench his big brother in water.

All of the campers looked at Percy in mild concern, because the formerly calm ocean was starting to become choppy. "Don't worry about it. That happens when we tease each other. However, you might not want to see us actually fight. I accidentally caused hurricane Xavier a year ago. Triton thought I needed to find a girlfriend. Shows what he knows."

Percy glanced at Annabeth before refocussing on his brother. Triton merely flicked the water off, careful not to hit anyone. "Yes, I am sure that is what you think Percy. You were completely miserable until your friend called you yesterday." Percy's mouth flopped open and shut, no sound coming out. Then he crossed his arms and muttered, "I had fun. Sometimes."

Annabeth got up and began walking back to the cabins, while the rest of Percy's friends studied the ground. Percy jumped to his feet and ran after her. Once he caught up to her, he saw that tears were trickling down her face. Gently, Percy grabbed Annabeth's arm and pulled her into a tight hug. "If I know you, and I do, you're blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault, Wise Girl. Ask Triton, I had my own break-down only a few days after I left.

"He was the only one I would allow near me. Father and mother were afraid for my sanity for a while. No one blames you, least of all me. We both had things we needed to work out. I feel like we have done that sufficiently. Do you agree?" He asked, lightly kissing her left temple.

Annabeth drew in a shuddering breath and nodded, her face pressed into Percy's chest. When Percy finally released her, he pulled her in the direction of the big house. "What are we doing?" Annabeth asked nervously, because nobody ever went to the Big House unless they were invited. It was almost as sacred as Olympus itself.

Percy only grinned and led her inside. "Don't worry, Chiron knows we are here and what we are doing." He led her to a small bedroom on the second floor, and motioned for her to enter ahead of him. When Annabeth realized where they were, she froze before turning around to see Percy down on one knee in front of her, a ring box in his hand.

"Annabeth Chase, I've known ever since I met you in this very room that you would play a very important role in my life. Would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?" Annabeth began sobbing again, too hard to speak, but she nodded enthusiastically, and hugged Percy tightly. Percy felt tears prick his eyes and knew that finally, he was where he belonged again.

 **Thanks again Y'all!**


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